A Take Into Remembrance: A Conversation Between Hans-Werner Kroesinger, Regine Dura, and Dinh Q. Lê 

Date/Time: Tues, 19 Sept @ 7PM-8:30PM
Location: Vườn Thảo Điền
Số 34, Đường số 11.
Thảo Điền Ward, District 2,
Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
Language: English & Vietnamese

Understanding histories has never been as straightforward as reading a page, or looking at an artifact. Theater-maker Hans-Werner Kroesinger and Regine Dura have addressed pressing social issues with historically-informed performances over two decades. Visual artist, Dinh Q. Lê, whose work persistently challenged the popularizing affect of history, specifically that of the American-Vietnam war, has a practice that spans approximately the same duration. A rare encounter that shows how a deeper understanding of history is possible in tandem with memory.

With: Dinh Q. Lê, Hans-Werner Kroesinger and Regine Dura
Moderated by: Trà Nguyễn and Betty Yi-Chun Chen

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About the speakers

Hans-Werner Kroesinger has started working as assistant director and dramaturg for Robert Wilson since he was a student, and has been part of the creative team for Heiner Muller’s Hamlet/Hamletmachine in 1989. Since 1993, his own productions have been presented at prestigious theatres and festivals, including the Maxim Gorki Theater (Berlin) and Documenta (Kassel). Collaborating with Regine Dura since 2000’s, they have been creating performances that speak to critical issues such as border safeguarding, conflicting historical narratives, or Muslim LGBTIQ, etc… in modern society.

Regine Dura studied Theater and Film studies, German Literature and Art Education at the Goethe University in Frankfurt/M. and Video at the University of the Arts, Berlin. She works as a director, author and dramaturge for film, theatre and radio. Her documentary WHITE BLOOD has been screened at various film festivals around Europe. In 2016 ‘Stolpersteine Staatstheater’, the collaborative work with theater-maker Hans-Werner Kroesinger, was showcased at Theatertreffen Berlin – the most important german-speaking theatre festival.

Dinh Q. Lê learns the craft of weaving from his aunt and turns it into his signature during his studies at UC Santa Barbara. His works, encompassing photo-weaving, photo and video installations, have been exhibited extensively at major institutions including the Museum of Modern Art (New York), musée du quai Branly-Jacques Chirac (Paris), and the National Gallery (Singapore). While his works have reframed global histories of Southern Vietnam, he continues to nurture the development of contemporary art in Vietnam by founding San Art, the longest running independent art space in Saigon.

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The above discussion is part of Situating Memories: Making Art in a Shared World, an Online Discourse Programme for SpielArt Festival Munich 2023.

Digital Exchange Format for Transnational Perspectives in Art and Memory Work. Memories, like artworks, are embedded in their specific contexts and never easily “universal”. Decentralized exchanges of heterogeneous narratives are therefore essential, to challenge dominant stories while discovering new connections across borders. In this online programme, diverse artists share their strategies and insight in dealing with memory and remembrance. The series is a platform to make memories meet, and reflect on art practices in a global context.

In collaboration with Sàn Art and the Taipei Arts Festival.